Hadith Regarding a Frail Man Who Committed Zina
Narrated from Ibn Shihab, who said that Abū Umāmah ibn Sahl ibn Ḥunayf informed him, who was informed by one of the Anṣār companions of the Prophet ﷺ:A man from the Anṣār fell so ill that he became extremely frail — nothing remained but skin over bone. One day, a slave-girl entered upon him, and he committed zina with her. When members of his community visited him to check on his health, he confessed and requested that they seek a fatwa from the Prophet ﷺ regarding his situation.
They conveyed the matter to the Prophet ﷺ, saying:
"We have never seen someone in as dire a condition as he is. If we bring him to you, his bones will break apart — he is just skin over bone."
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ instructed them to gather one hundred thin branches and strike him once with all of them together.
Reported by:
- Abū Dāwūd
- Imām Aḥmad (2/222)
- Dāraqutnī (3/100)
- Ibn Mājah (2574)
- Bayhaqī (8/230)
- Nasāʾī (8/242)
This ḥadīth is authentic.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith
❶ If an unmarried individual is extremely weak and administering the standard punishment could endanger his life, then physical leniency (in how the punishment is delivered) is permitted — but the number of lashes remains unchanged.❷ The punishment of stoning is not carried out on a sick individual until he recovers.
❸ Islamic Hudūd (prescribed punishments) are intended as a deterrent, not merely as a means to destroy the criminal. However, severe crimes may warrant death.
❹ The punishment in this case involved striking the individual with 100 thin branches at once — each branch must make contact. This method was taught by the Prophet ﷺ himself.
❺ This incident highlights the grave risk of women entering upon men alone, and vice versa, especially in isolation.
❻ Medically, it also demonstrates that even severely weak individuals retain their sexual desires.
This content is derived from the book "Ḍiyāʾ al-Islām fī Sharḥ al-Imām bi-Aḥādīth al-Aḥkām" by Shaykh Taqī ad-Dīn Abī al-Fatḥ, translated by Mawlānā Maḥmūd Aḥmad Ghaḍanfar.